Normally I'd put any of my texts in the oneshot/drabble collection, but since this is a special parting gift to my friend Alice-chan (and it's over 6k, not exactly a drabble), I'll put it up as a stand-alone piece n_n Hope you enjoy!

Sadly, Conan hadn't been able to attend it, since that night Kogoro had been invited to a dinner with one of his clients who had insisted he bring his daughter and the boy to have a proper cozy family gathering. Conan had of course been irked about it, especially since Heiji had also graciously invited them to spend the weekend at his house. In the end, though, he'd relented and gave up another chance to catch the thief, content with the knowledge that at least one other kokosei tantei would be giving Kid a run for his money.

Yet he forgot that, while Heiji and he were both almost equally good in the deduction field, it certainly didn't mean it was the same for everything. And while he may have gained enough experience during Kid heists to keep up with the thief, Heiji sure hadn't.

And thus we enter the current situation at hand.

"Kid! God dammit KID, you better get me outta these or I'm gonna stuff that piece of shiny rock up your-" The words continued to shoot from the Osakan's mouth, each expletive getting so much more and more creative that Kid had to wonder if he'd ever come in contact with Nakamori-keibu.

The thief winced at a particularly graphic one, but tactfully concealed it with a shrug, the hand holding tonight's heist prize lowering from where it had been high in the air, in full exposure to the moonlight drifting from the balcony. He sighed dramatically, closing his hand in a fist and making the diamond disappear in a sleeve, before turning swiftly on his heel to regard his current prisoner.

Said prisoner was none other than a certain dark-skinned Osakan named Hattori Heiji, his body suspended in the air by the many colorful ribbons wrapped around him and hanging from the rafters overhead. Personally, Kaitou Kid thought he looked rather ridiculous in the position, his dark tan making a comic contrast to the colorful bindings holding him immobile. It would have suited Tantei-kun so much better, with that irritated scowl instead of the current loud mouth…

He waited till the last of the curses receded, leaving the Osakan panting for breath, before he casually replied. "My my, what a colorful language we have." He could see the detective was beyond ready to begin a new rant, so he cut him off with another loud sigh. "You're just no fun."

A small snap of his fingers had the other engulfed in a poof of smoke and, a moment later, falling to the ground free of any restraints. While Heiji grunted at being deposited so roughly, Kid walked past him in the direction of the grand balcony, his shoulders almost slumped beneath his bulky outfit.

"You miss him, don't you?"

The thief stilled at that, turning to regard the detective with obvious confusion on his face. "Miss who, Tantei-han?"

The other wasn't fooled however, picking a piece of confetti out of his hair and throwing it away in disdain. "Like you don't know. I told Kudo to come to Osaka but no, he had other things to do. 'Give him a good kick for me' he says," He 'hmph'ed. "Like anyone can even get within kicking distance other than him."

The magician chuckled, and at Heiji's inquiring look asked. "Doesn't it bother you to confess to being inferior to Tantei-kun in anything? I thought high-school detectives were rather competitive."

He'd expected the other to throw another fit, but surprisingly, he only quirked an eyebrow. "Well yeah, 'course, but even I can admit Kudo's better at handling you than anyone else. I didn't even want ta be here wasting my time, but then Kudo'd… Ugh!" He grunted, ruffling his hair in frustration.

He heard another chuckle emanate from the thief. Focusing back on him again, he, much to his wariness, found a razor smirk slowly edging its way onto his face. He raised an eyebrow at the expression. "What?"

The chuckling soon dissolved to snickering, and the smirk gave way to a familiar sharp grin, making Heiji begin to worry about whatever the magician had thought up now. One gloved hand came up to pull the rim of the top hat down, the monocle reflecting the dim light of the room. The only thing that was missing, Heiji faintly thought, was an ominous lightning striking the sky in the distance.

"Say, Tantei-han, I've been wondering about some… things. Call it an experiment."

"Experiment?" The voice was wary, suspicious. Inwardly, Heiji was desperately hoping it wasn't him that would be the victim of the crazed thief before him. That smile, it was just a tad bit too demented for his liking right now…

"Yes, yes. Say, Tantei-han, how about a prank on a certain Tantei-kun?"

It didn't take long for Heiji to consider. After the initial brief explanation, Heiji had agreed to it without even needing to hear all the intricacies of how to pull it off.

That night, he went home snickering all the way, completely forgetting about the confetti still stuck in his hair.

Notes on prank Code: Bouncing Shrimp

- Managed to set up a suitable agent to implement the prank, target should have no trust issues.

A week later, the plan was set.

Early on that sunny Saturday morning, when Ran was out grocery shopping and the other occupants of the Mouri agency still fighting the morning rays that urged them to wake up, a highly annoying sound rung through the apartment.

The doorbell.

There was a gurgling response at first, followed by intelligible growling and grunts. If Conan hadn't known better, he would've thought a wild animal had broken into the room overnight. But, as he had become quite familiar with it since staying with the Mouri's, the boy decided to just ignore it.

The doorbell rang a second time.

This time, the grunts took a step higher in evolution and became grumbles. "Goddamn… kill the bell… Yoko…"

The third time it rang, even a pillow over the head couldn't save the boy from the shout that came from the bed beside him.

A pissed off Mouri Kogoro sat up straight in his bed. "ANSWER THE DAMN DOOR YOU BRAT; I WANNA SLEEP!" And fell back down, happily snoring like a well oiled machine.

Not wanting to antagonize the man that could easily give him a bump on the head further, the boy sat up in his futon, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He groggily put on his faux glasses, an action born out of necessity and pure reflex, and started making his way out of the cramped room.

Ding-dong~!

"I'm coming already…" The boy mumbled, more so that his 'uncle' heard him and stopped more of his urging (a.k.a. yelling), than for the idiot who obviously didn't care enough for his life (or it could be a she for that matter, since Conan could well imagine Sonoko traipsing in here so early in the morning).

Just as the stranger's hand was about to press the cursed button for a fourth time, the door of the apartment above the agency swung open with all the strength a seven-year-old boy could muster, with said small boy ready to give the newcomer a piece of his mind.

"Yo, Kudo!"

…Hattori Heiji.

It should have been a crime to grin so widely at such an early hour. Conan almost followed the instinct to activate his shoes and kick him in the shin, but barely reigned himself. Or, truth be told, the only reason he did not do exactly that was because they were safely tucked away by the door, just in his peripheral vision. The bastard must've thought of it beforehand.

Before he could even inquire about what he was doing here, the Osakan breezed past him in two long strides (that he oh so wished to be able to do himself, damn his short height) and continued on his way to the kitchen.

"Been awhile since I was here, eh?" he asked easily, taking his surroundings in.

"Baaro, you could at least be a bit quieter, Occhan's still sleeping in the next room." Conan chastised, trailing after the teen. "What're you even doing here so early? I thought you said you'd get here with the afternoon train."

"Yep, really." Heiji said, the wide grin still on his face. "Oh yeah, and I wanted ta give ya somethin'…" he put the bag he was carrying down on the kitchen table (Conan was embarrassed to note he only now noticed it, but he blamed it on his still half-asleep state) and pulled out a bedecked bowl.

"What's that?"

"Somethin' ya'll really like if what neechan told me was true." With a soft pop, the lid went off, and just as suddenly the kitchen was filled with a rich aroma wafting through the air. Only one sniff of the wondrous scent was enough for Conan to instantly become awake, his nose high in the air and excess saliva already forming in his mouth.

"Is that…?"

"Heh, so it is true." Heiji snickered as he put the bowl down, revealing the content to be several large pieces of- of-

Conan licked his lips in anticipation.

Lemon pie.

"Kaasan baked them early this morning, and since I remembered this one talk with neechan where she said ya were obsessed with the stuff, I decided ta bring some with me ta surprise ya. Like it?" He watched the teenager-in-a-boy's-body nod, still enthralled by the goodness not a foot away from him.

He flinched though the Osakan ruffled his hair, disheveling it more than a full night of sleep could do. He was sure he resembled a hedgehog by now. He grunted at the treatment, but perked up at Heiji's next words.

"Well, what are ya waitin' for then?"

Without preamble, Conan quickly went to get a plate, seated himself at the table and grabbed one piece of lemon pie from the bowl.

In retrospect, maybe he should have been a bit more suspicious of Heiji and his motives – after all, why would the Osakan be so friendly when it came to the pie (wouldn't he at least make a joke or two about his obse – erm, his taking with it?) , why would his mother be baking lemon pie before the sun even rose, and how could it still be so deliciously warm after a full trip from Osaka to Tokyo – but right now, all that mattered to him was the pie, and the wondrous smell, and the taste…

"Ara?" he wondered, trying to place the different taste of the pie in his mouth. After all, by now he could confidently call himself an expert at identifying subtle differences between various kinds of lemon pies, and this one had a rather peculiar one.

"What? Somethin' wrong?"

If Heiji's voice shook slightly while asking the question, Conan gave no indication of detecting it. Swallowing, the boy said. "Nah, it's just that it really has a rich taste. Your Kaasan added some extra sugar to it?"

Watching as the boy continued to eat despite the different taste, Heiji just shrugged. "Ah, yeah, she does that sometimes. Adds a little too much sugar so she covers it with more of the lemon juice. Makes it a bit too rich, but its okay I guess."

"Mhmm, ish great…" the other barely heard him, gone back to his happy place.

Luckily for Heiji, he also had his eyes closed, so he missed the wide grin and the relieved slump his shoulders made at the 'dodged bullet'.

'Oh, now you're in for it, Kudo,' Heiji thought. 'Now you're in for it.'

Notes on prank Code: Bouncing Shrimp

- Prank set successfully, target not suspecting anything unusual.

- Note to self: Use Tantei-han for trust-oriented pranks on Tantei-kun in future, much better than the idea of an old woman offering him pie on a street.

- Note to self: …Though he'd probably take it even then, provided it's of the lemon type. Must remember this obsession with the particular flavor. Might come in handy when choosing a type of pie to shoot him with on a heist.

It started setting in sometime around midmorning.

While Ran had been surprised at seeing Heiji so early at the agency (and furious for giving Conan dessert before breakfast) she dutifully made the meal for all of them. She even got Conan to leave the pie and eat some it. The boy had reluctantly left a few last pieces to survive a tad longer.

However, during breakfast, Heiji couldn't help but notice how Conan's fingers would often tap the table, how his eyes would start to swivel around the room rapidly, or how Ran had to reprimand him more than one time for bouncing in his seat. By the end of the meal Conan had completely forgotten about the pie Ran had to hide, and was begging said girl to finally go out the apartment.

To Heiji's amusement, while he waited for Ran to get ready the boy had cleaned the table, washed the dishes, swept the kitchen floor, got rid of all the beer cans around Kogoro's desk, and was just now busy with the task of wiping off the dust off the television, much to Kogoro's consternation.

"Okay, Conan-kun, I'm all set!"

"Finally!" came the reply from not only Conan, but also a very irritated Kogoro.

"Take the brat out of here, he's ruining my Yoko time!" Just then, applause was heard from the TV, causing the man to turn back to it, cheering wildly.

But he needn't have even told Ran to hurry up; she was already busy not trying to fall over as a small bundle of energy dragged her along to the front door.

"We're-going-out-Occhan-see-you-later-are-you-coming-Heiji-niichan?"

Heiji tried hard not to laugh at the display – Ran scolding Conan for dragging her like that while the boy bounced and twitched under the lecture (but still continued dragging her) – so it took him a few moments to decipher that part of the sentence was aimed at him.

"Yeah, yeah, comin'!"

He wouldn't miss it for the world.

'This is gonna be so much fun.'

Notes on prank Code: Bouncing Shrimp

- Prank works beautifully. Tantei-kun seems to react to greater amounts of sugar like any other kid. Have to thank okaasan for baking one extra of her great pies for this prank. Though from the taste of the other one, she went a little humble on the sugar…

-Note to self: Never seen Mouri-san's desk so sparkling. I think I saw the target blur at one point…

'Livelier' would have been a serious understatement. The boy was practically bouncing off the walls of the buildings as they strode past on the walkway. It was completely unlike him, and Heiji was sure he would be mortified later about his childish behavior later (if he remembered at all), but right now it seemed like he just couldn't control himself, his body having too much energy that he had to somehow release.

Ah, the joys of sugarhigh.

He'd have to thank the thief later for being able to witness this experiment of his, even if it would bruise his detective pride to do so. This was just too priceless.

Notes on prank Code: Bouncing Shrimp

- Target doesn't seem to be aware that he is acting like a real kid. An amusing thought, even more of an amusing show.

- Note to self: Thank kami he isn't aware of it. Looks like he just broke two laws of nature, one of them the one on gravity. Dammit, that's my field of expertise!

"Alright, Ran, spill it. What's wrong with the chibi?"

Sonoko had had enough. She'd met the trio at the entrance of Beika Park and decided to join them for the remainder of the afternoon. Yet after only a few minutes even she couldn't help but notice the strange behavior of the bespectacled boy.

Right now there was a soccer ball happily bouncing up and down beside them, over the boy's head, his knees, toes or heels, and she'd even see it bounce up over a tree branch a couple of times. And the ball was moving so fast she'd more than once wondered if there were three of them instead of one.

Coupled with that, the chibi was laughing, excitedly running after the ball when he kicked it too hard and then doing it all over again. He was acting so… like his age.

And that was completely unnatural.

"Well, I don't know, he's been like this since morning." Ran mused. "But it's good to see him act like a child from time to time, you know? Sometimes I think Conan-kun wants to grow up too fast, always acting so calm and protective… it's nice for a change, ne?"

"Uh-huh." was the unconvinced response. Still, she didn't comment on it further, if only for Ran's sake.

The chibi had abandoned the ball in favor of chasing squirrels.

She glanced at the Osakan on Ran's other side.

Was he okay? It couldn't be good if he was clutching his stomach that hard and holding a hand over his mouth…

Notes on prank Code: Bouncing Shrimp

- Yep, saw him break another two.

- The Fangirl showed up. Seems weirded out by the change. Can't blame her, I would be too if it wasn't so funny.

- Note to self: Aww, Tantei-kun is so adorable chasing that squirrel! Just had to take a picture for future blackmail.

- Note to self: Next time take into account Tantei-han hasn't been exposed to too many of my pranks on Tantei-kun. It can't be good for the heart…

"Found you, Conan-kun!"

"Now Conan-kun is seeking!"

"Alright! Onetwothree…"

They'd stumbled on the group of kids – Genta, Ayumi and Mitsuhiko – not long after entering the park. Apparently they'd went to Agasa to use him as their 'adult supervision' for the day, but since he and Ai were busy they had set out on their own, intent on chasing some giant horned bugs for the day.

To the kid's delight, Ran's surprise, Sonoko's shrug at the weirdness and Heiji's muted snicker, Conan immediately joined them. Enthusiastically.

And after they got bored with bug hunting, they started playing hide and seek. Conan too. Also rather enthusiastically.

Sonoko felt a chill going down her spine. She looked up, fearing the worst, but… Nope, the sky still hadn't fallen upon their heads, and there were still no shiny comets signaling the end of the world. Weird.

Heiji was having a blast.

And Conan… he'd just completed his hasty count to twenty. He was still speaking too fast to be properly understood, even though the kids seemed to get his every word (must be a kiddy thing). Looking around himself, he found Genta, Ayumi and Mitsuhiko to be absent, leaving only…

"Hei-niichan! You'renothiding! That means… you'reseekingnextturn!" And then he dashed off to search for the others.

Heiji's snickers died down as qiuickly as an innocent passer-by going down the same street as Kudo. When had he become a part of the game? And since when did his name get shortened just so Kudo could better pronounce it in his hyperactive language?

By the time he got his bearings back Conan had already managed to find the others (Heiji attributed it to the sugarhigh making his movements extra fast, not him being extra slow today) and now they were all standing in front of him, looking at him with expectant eyes.

"W-wait a mo there! I ain't playin' with you kids!"

"'Course Hei-nii is! Everyone's playing!" The kids shouted in reply.

"What about the girls then?" the Osakan tried to get out of this, or at least drag the others down with him. His shortened name didn't even seem to bother him anymore.

"Ran-san and Sonoko-san are busy, they have other things to do than play with us." Mitsuhiko explained as if speaking to a slow child, holding a finger up for good measure.

Heiji looked at his (physically) adult companions. Both of them were sitting on a bench a way away, giggling and laughing over some photographs of either Conan or Sonoko's boyfriend. He sweatdropped. Did that really constitute as busy?

"I ain't playin' hide-and-seek with you, alright? Go dig some dirt or somethin'." he said irritably.

"What about 'You're It' then? All of us run, only one has to catch the others, and when-"

"I know how the game's played." Heiji interrupted Mitsuhiko. "And I ain't playin' with you. Anythin'. Not a chance. Now leave me alone." he waved them off.

The kids looked questionably at each other, as if communicating by eyes only. He saw them glance at Conan more than any other in their group, as if waiting for his decision on the matter, his command. Considering the kid in question had been dozed with a who-knows-how-great dose of sugar, Heiji suddenly felt dread settle in the pit of his stomach.

Conan pumped his fist into the air.

"DOGPILE!"

And so Heiji did play Tag with the children, only they were all It, with just him running for his life.

Notes on prank Code: Bouncing Shrimp

- Had to leave my post momentary. Wouldn't be good if I was detected by passer-by due to laughing too loud.

- Note to self: Have to get those photos from Mouri-chan. Lovely blackmail. I think I even saw one of Tantei-kun in panda pajamas. If he ever discovers my identity, I can just use those to keep him tight-lipped.

- Note to self: Poor Tantei-han. I can see why mom used to say I was scary as a kid.

Since Conan was so hyperactive and for once behaving like a real child enjoying a perfectly sunny day out, Ran had decided they'd better then spend the whole of it outside, either in the park or at some restaurant. She'd called Kogoro to inform him they'd only be returning in the evening (and hung up on his wails of no lunch and no new beer cans) and asked the group what they'd like to eat.

The kids had to regretfully go home to their own lunches, and they all had their own plans for the afternoon, so they gave a heartily goodbye and reluctantly skipped off. And so, just as the group of four was currently enjoying the meal-

"Aaaaaaaaaaah! He's dead!"

A man dropped dead.

This in itself, despite the rather gruesome display of the fat man (because he was indeed quite fat) still gripping his throat in death with a stricken look on his face, became quite normal for the two highschool detectives. And while Heiji thought the rest of the familiar routine (get the clues, consult with Kudo, make a grand show of a deduction and apprehend the murderer) would go by just as normally, he failed to take into account Conan's current… state.

In a blur, before even Heiji got to the body, the boy had already checked the vitals, inspected the man's throat, and flitted off to study something other which had most likely something to do with solving the case.

Five minutes later, after seeing the boy flicker spontaneously between the dead man's table (he'd been a customer apparently), his companion's side (a co-worker), and the place beside the body where a cigarette remained on the ground somehow not trampled by the crowd around them, Heiji was pretty sure he knew how the murder was done.

Then the police came in, doing crowd control and instantly recognizing him for helping them out a few times.

Heiji opened his mouth to solve the murder.

Sonoko made a weird sound as she dropped back into the chair she'd stood up from, body going limp and mind peacefully asleep

Heiji shut his mouth. 'Oh God, he wouldn't…'

"The-man-was-killed-by-a-cigarette-coated-in-cyanide-that-his-co-worker-gave-him, and-the-reason-why-he-couldn't-detect-it-before was 'cause-only-the-murderer-knew-he-had-an-illness-lately-that-decreased-his-sense-of-smell. That's-why-he-was-so-surpirsed-when-he-recognized-the-weird-taste-the-cigarette-had but thenitwaslareadytoolate and hedroppeddead and thenwefoundhim and he-was-killed-by the co-worker!"

Yep, he would.

Everyone was by now looking weirdly at the sleeping blond, no wonder trying to decipher what the hell she had just said and how she could've said it in one breath. Somehow, they knew it was important and probably the deduction that had solved this murder, but apparently they only got a few words of the entire rushed explanation.

The co-worker was now looking considerably uncomfortable.

The Osakan sighed, bringing a hand to massage his temples. At first, he had thought this experiment of the thief's was ingenious. Then, he had thought the results were plain hilarious. After that, he'd only thought of all the blackmail he could milk out of the situation. It was only when he was running for his life from a horde of hyperactive children that he became aware this sugarhigh of Conan's just may have some downsides.

This was one of them.

Resigning himself to his fate, Heiji set about straightening the situation out. He addressed the crowd sheepishly. "Erm, I think what she wanted ta say was that the man was poisoned by the cigarette…"

Notes on prank Code: Bouncing Shrimp

- Tantei-kun is scary when solving a murder while still under the prank's influence.

At the end of the day, Heiji was exhausted.

The girls had left the Osakan with Conan only an hour ago, saying they had to do a little late shopping, as well as buy some food for the dinner Ran would be making tonight at the agency. Since Conan was still acting like his hyperactive self (thank God it should be subsiding soon), they decided he should stay with him at the park to let out some steam. He should make him company, they said.

Heiji had wanted to cry. He couldn't remember how many of the kid's 'games' they'd played, but he knew that by now he just wanted to crawl onto the couch of the Mouri agency and fall asleep.

Not to mention that not all the games Conan played were harmless.

"Hei-nii, wanna play soccer?"

Like that. It had sounded inviting enough, with Heiji requiring only a minimum of leg movement to toss the ball back and forth between Conan and him.

He had, again, not considered the power a sugarhigh can give a child. And apparently, while under its wonderful influence (if slightly waning, the return of non-rushed speech being indication enough), Conan's kicks just about equaled the power only his super-powered shoes would normally give him.

But that wasn't the only thing that irritated Heiji. No, there was another, one that he had been aware of during the whole day. They had been watched.

And damned if he didn't know who exactly was watching them, enjoying every part of the show they'd been presenting him. Oh, Heiji would've been okay with the notion of the thief watching them, as long as his attention was only drawn to the target of his experiment. But the fact was that for quite some time now, Heiji had gained the full attention of the target, and was, to the sure amusement of their watcher, paying for it dearly.

And that meant revenge.

Dodging another super-powered kick that sent the soccer ball digging a few inches into a nearby tree, the Osakan's eyes strayed again to a small spot in the distance. He'd been trying to guess the hiding spot of their watcher ever since they came back to Beika Park. By now, he was fairly sure he had it:

The top of a multi-stored building quite a way away from the park, yet close enough to have a good look at their current position, provided good binoculars were used. The few flashes of glass reflecting the light of the setting sun had been a great help too.

Now if only he knew how to pay the thief back for all that trouble. From this distance it was almost impossible…

He ducked as another ball came speeding over his head. Looking behind, he found it to have spectacularly bounced off of a nearby bench, moving the heavy object by an inch and then shooting into up into the air by at least ten feet.

"Aww man," Conan pouted, which Heiji would've found amusing if he wasn't covering on the ground. "I always put too much power in it. I guess I just can't aim at things close by today…"

And that suddenly gave Heiji an idea.

"Ah, is no big deal, Kudo. You'll prob'ly be back in top form by tomorrow. Been hell of a day an' all." A grin suddenly formed on his face. "But how about we see just how far ya can kick?"

At the boy's questioning look, he picked himself up from the ground, dusting the dirt off of his pants, and jerked a thumb in a supposedly random direction.

"How about ya try kicking in that direction so we see how far it goes?"

"But won't the ball then get lost?" he still looked unsure, though somewhat excited at the prospective of shooting with full strength.

He'd been ready for that one. "Not if ya use the inflatable one in yer belt."

"Oh! Then its fine I guess!" he started to tug his shirt up so he could access the belt that held the inflatable ball in it. "But what should I aim for? I've only got one ball left."

"Well…" Heiji did a good impression of looking thoughtful. "Maybe ya can shoot for that flickering light in the distance?" He gestured to the reflecting light on the building in the distance. "And use the super-shoes too, Kudo, would be interestin' ta see the results."

"'Kay!"

As Conan's trainers crackled with electricity and the ball was sent off, Heiji was sure he felt a light wind ruffle his hair due to the powerful impact of foot meeting soccer ball. He shuddered slightly.

However, instead of going straight for the spot in distance, the ball rocketed off high, high into the sky, getting lost among the clouds as an orange tail seemed to trail after it.

…

Well, that wasn't how Heiji expected it to go.

Conan looked sheepish at his own misjudged strength. Heiji scratched his head, shrugged his shoulders, and decided enough was enough for today.

"Hey Kudo, wanna go back ta neechan and see if dinner's ready?"

The child, still under the slight influence of sugarhigh, pumped his fist high in the air, previous game of ball shooting completely forgotten. "Oh yeah!"

The Osakan followed the skipping boy at a more docile pace, sighing and firmly wowing that since not now, he'd get the thief back another time, in another place. Maybe he'd even drug Kudo with sugar again on the day of a heist, just so he could see their positions being reversed. Then Heiji would be the one laughing and the magician the one running for his dear life.

Notes on prank Code: Bouncing Shrimp

- NEVER EVER try to repeat this prank, if at all, right before a heist. I don't know if I'll survi-

The rest of the notes were a series of scribbles, the text interrupted as suddenly an orange ball of flame came hurtling from the heavens above.

At the last second Kaito moved out of the way, looking with wide-eyed shock as the ball dug at least a few inches into the concrete, exploded from impact, and then, due to the hot air rushing out of the hole in its side, came hurtling straight at him. His last thought, just before he was slapped in the face by a still smoking and deflated soccer ball, was to never again try this experiment.

The next morning, as Ran was cooking breakfast, a familiar sound filled the apartment. The doorbell.

Washing her hands off, the girl moved across the living room to open it, passing silently by a certain Hattori Heiji that had been bunking on the couch for the night. Opening it, she was at first surprised to see no one in front of it, but months spent with a child in her care taught her to also look down, down to the face of…

Ai-chan?

"Oh, ohayo Ai-chan! What are you doing here so early?" Ran asked.

Yet truth be told, it wasn't really that early. Even Ran herself had woken up pretty late for her standards, and only set about preparing breakfast at around ten o'clock. All the other occupants of the house were still sleeping, still out cold from either the day out or too much beer.

"I came by to see Edogawa-kun. Is he here?" the girl asked as she was led into the kitchen, where Ran was resuming her cooking so as to not let something get burned.

"I'm sorry, Ai-chan, but Conan-kun is still sleeping." Ran replied. "He's probably exhausted after the day out we had yesterday, so I let him sleep in a while longer. You can wait until breakfast is done, though. I'll wake him up then." she saw the girl nod, but paused in her stirring of the bowl on the stove. "Ah, did you even eat breakfast at Professor Agasa's?"

"Yes, I ate just before coming here, but thank you for the offer."

Ran bit her lip, looking unsure as she started finishing the meal. It wasn't that Ai's behavior was bothering her or anything (she'd become quite used to the girl's calm and polite demeanor actually), just that… Well, Ran had always prided herself in being a good host, and right now she knew she should be offering her guest at least some refreshments and snacks. Yet, she knew for a fact that they'd run out of it yesterday when her father had found the secret stash and eaten it all so as to not 'die from hunger', as he'd said it.

Now what to do… She tried to recall if they had any other snacks (that her father hadn't found) so she could offer it to Ai, but she just couldn't…

As a groan from the next room announced Heiji's steady return from the world of dreams, Ran suddenly remembered.

"That's right!" Ran exclaimed as she turned to a capped bowl on a nearby counter. She'd hidden it from her dad for Conan's sake, but right now the boy was sleeping, and when he woke up he'd first have to eat breakfast, which meant he'd only be able to eat the content around afternoon, possibly evening…

Ran grimaced at the thought. She didn't think a child should eat more than a day old food. Normally she wouldn't even be offering it to Ai-chan, but…

She placed the bowl on the table.

"I'm sorry Ai-chan, we don't have any snacks right now, but Heiji-kun had kindly brought some lemon pie yesterday for Conan-kun. Since he didn't get to finish it, would you like some?"

As for Ai, she was by now quite irritated (inwardly, mind you, her face was a blank slate as usual). To think she'd crossed all that distance between Agasa's and the Mouri's so early in the morning just so she could inform Kudo of a new experimental antidote she'd developed…. And what does she find? The slacker was still in his bed, and she was left waiting for him again.

But, at the mention of the boy's name, she perked up again, Truthfully, even though she'd eaten at Agasa's, it was quite a time ago (she'd woken up really early), and she could use some food other than the overly satiating one Ran was currently making for breakfast.

And…

"Lemon pie?" she asked. In the living room, Heiji had just let out a full yawn, waking up to a new day.

"Oh yes. Conan-kun really enjoyed it, but I had to stop him since Heiji-kun gave it to him before breakfast. I thought he'd eat it later, but I guess it never came up…"

"Thank you, I think I'll take a bite." She answered politely, taking the plate the teen gave her and serving herself. Inwardly, she smirked.

Oh, she still remembered the heavenly look in Conan's eyes as he had eaten lemon pie that one time Agasa had taken them out after a soccer game. The boy had been so immersed in it that he'd barely paid any attention to his surroundings. And for an ever-watchful paranoid detective, that was saying a lot.

With relish, she dug into the pie. It was cold of course, she'd expected that. What she didn't expect though, was the wonderfully rich taste that befell her tongue. Whoever made this pie really knew what they were doing.

'Take that Kudo-kun. See if I care as the last pieces of your favorite dessert vanish right under your nose.'

At that same moment, a sleepy looking figure drifted into the kitchen.

"Morni-nghkhhh!"

"Heiji-kun, are you alright?" Ran exclaimed, rushing to the Osakan's side as he made an odd choking sound. Heiji, however, ignored her efforts entirely. Instead, he was looking at Ai with a very horrified expression.

Ai paid him no mind. If he wanted to be an idiot, he could be. She had a pie to eat and a revenge to fulfill.

As soon as he got his bearings back, Heiji bolted out of there. He even declined the offer on breakfast, having made up some excuse or other for being late for his train.

He wasn't insane enough to stay there. He still shuddered remembering the day before.

Never again.

"Kaito! Why weren't you at school today?" Aoko shrieked as she barged into the teen's room. "So help me Kaito, if you skipped again just for the fun of it, I will…"

The words trailed off, however, when the magician in question just whimpered at her entrance, curling up into a fetus position on the bed and only slightly raising his head to look at her with frightened eyes.

"Kaito, Kaito are you okay?" she was immediately concerned and by his side, kneeling to get a better look at him. Only then did she notice something truly unusual about his appearance. "…Kaito, why do you have a soccer ball patterned bruise on your cheek?"

At the mention of The Round Thing, Kaito whimpered even more. He covered his head with his arms, and took refuge under his blanket. Only a few mumbled words came out from under the mess of sheets and blankets.

"Ball of doom… wanted to kill me… scarier that f-f-finny things… never again…"

Unsurprisingly, Aoko was at a loss.

As another object shattered upon impact with the wall, Agasa and Conan covered their heads from the pieces falling around them. Currently they were hiding behind a couch at the Professor's residence, and they damn well had a good reason to do so.

"I said I wanted ice-cream! Whydon'twehaveanyice-cream?"

Haibara Ai, a.k.a. Miyano Shiho, had just plain and simply gone mad.

With trembling hands, Conan gripped the Professor's shirt and jerked him up to eye-level (he was standing, while the Professor half-lying due to a hit in the hip with a porcelain elephant figurine) and shouted. "Hakase, we have to get out of here!"

Agasa started to nod his head, but then suddenly halted as he remembered why exactly Conan had come to visit him.

"But what about the antidote?" he yelled over the wails of the girl throwing things around the house. "If we don't stop Ai-kun soon, she's going to reach the laboratory next, and probably destroy it-"

"Are you mad? I don't freaking care about the antidote! I'll happily stay a kid my entire life, I just want to get the hell away from THAT!" he pointed a trembling finger at the small blond that had somehow managed to lift the coffee table and was now looking in their direction with pure menace.

"Give me my ice-cream!"

"Oh shi-!"

And that was how another day at the Agasa residence began.

Luckily for the males, they managed to escape before the girl reached the lab, but by the time they got back with several bags full of ice-cream, one wall was already missing due to explosive chemicals meeting it rather enthusiastically, and the front yard even had some singed holes in it.

In any case, in future they learned to always keep a package or two of ice-cream at hand.

- You don't have to really try understanding what Conan says about the murder, I know it was a pain to write. And it's idiotic, couldn't come up with anything better.Also, FF seems to love eating up Conan's rushed text, so I had to use minuses instead of cramming it all together like on dA. *sweatdrops*- I just had to add the lemon pie, it was inevitable. XD- Loved writing Kid's notes. Poured a bit of myself in there (like when he cooed over Conan's cuteness with the squirrel). X3

I hope I haven't gotten too rusty with my writing. This story was started months ago, so the style at the beginning is maybe a bit rushed compared to the rest.

The author would like to thank you for your continued support. Your review has been posted.